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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — to confront
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com